Colton Superfast Broadband Why it's important and how we can get it......Mike Postle (mike@mpo1.uk)

A short term fix if you are desperate

It was announced last week that up to 300,000 homes that struggle to access speeds of more than 2 Mb/s will be eligible for government funding for the installation of satellite broadband services. The contribution, which is likely to reduce the cost of installation by around £350, is part of the phase 1 universal service commitment.

 

However before getting too excited, it’s as well to remember that a typical consumer will spend between £250 and £600 on satellite hardware; then there’s the £100+ installation cost and the monthly rental. Current monthly data usage of a typical fixed line broadband customer is reckoned to be 58 GB. If you want a satellite package that can deliver 50 GB per month, you’ll be paying about £60 per month.

 

Then of course there are performance issues. These include the time it takes the signal to travel via the satellite from your home to the base station (latency), insufficient capacity – especially at peak times and even rain affecting the signal. Also if you are not given a UK IP address, you’ll have to employ some clever dodges to use UK focussed internet such as the iPlayer.

 

If you’re not yet connected to SFBB, it’s worth pushing to be included in phase 2 or, failing that, to look at community land based solutions.